To Fight Destiny
by jerbils11
Summary: Two people destined to join together and save their world… can’t seem to get it right. Derek Venturi and Casey McDonald have to begin new lives over and over again in different time periods until they get it right… or the world is destroyed.
1. Prologue

**To Fight Destiny...**

**Two people destined to join together and save their world… can't seem to get it right. Derek Venturi and Casey McDonald have to begin new lives over and over again in different time periods until they get it right… or the world is destroyed.**

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**Prologue**

It was a very dark time. The king over a large kingdom was in trouble. An evil magician had cursed him and his kingdom was falling apart before his very eyes. His advisor, who happened to be a magician himself, had tried very hard to lift the curse, but his magic could not compare to the dark magic. The king could do nothing to stop the impending doom that was coming upon his kingdom. Then, surprisingly, one day his magician told a prophecy of two young adults who would save the king and end his curse.

The king sat down as his magician went into the subconscious phase of prophesying, "There will come two young adults, one male, one female, who will restore peace among the havoc that Richard has brought upon his people. If they should fail before they turn seventeen, they will be sent forward in time until they get it right."

Richard, the king, stood up anxiously and interrogated Verdd, his magician, "Verdd, what do you mean by it? Why would they not get it right? What are they getting right? Verdd, explain this!"

Verdd shook his head sadly, "I am sorry, sire, but I can only tell the predictions, I do not have the knowledge to explain them."

Richard let out a groan, "But Verdd, this could take years, decades, even. I do not know when this will happen. How long will my people be suffering from my mistake?"

The old magician stroked his long, white beard thoughtfully, "I do not know sire, all I know that it will come true, I can promise you that. I do not tell untrue prophecies."

Richard collapsed into his chair and rubbed his temples, "I do not know what to do, Verdd, if this takes decades to come true, then I will be the most hated king in all of history because I led my people to their demise. If this does not happen soon, my people will either die from the famine, or the monsters that Rampart has sent out will kill them." Rampart was the evil magician who had cursed King Richard.

Verdd walked over to the window and looked out of the window at the dying land, "Then we must pray that those young adults come soon. And know what they need to do."

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Meanwhile, two mothers passed by each other on the streets of the town. One of the mothers was holding the hand of a small toddler boy with almost long brown locks and brown eyes. The other mother was carrying a toddler girl of about the same age, with long brown hair and sparkling blue eyes. The little boy made a face at the girl and laughed as she screwed up her face and began to pout. The mother looked at her daughter curiously and then looked over at the little boy and frowned. The mother holding the boy's hand did not notice any of this, but tugged on his hand and made him walk faster. He quickly made another face at the girl and her mother and then hurried after his own mother.

The girl's mother looked down at her and sighed, "Oh, Elizabeth, I don't know what parents are teaching their children. We should all try our best to keep you all well educated. With all this fear and terror around, one thing we _can_ do is to keep order in our children's lives."

Elizabeth just stared after the little boy over her mother's shoulder, making a face too late for him to see, as two fat tears slid down her cheeks.

**A/N: I got the inspiration for this fanfic by watching a trailer on YouTube.. so you all should check it out! It's called Avalon High: A Dasey Trailer... created by AllyPorter!! check it out!! it's awesome!!**

**-Jacki :)**


	2. Chapter One: Attempt One: Middle Ages

**A/N: OK, so bear with me, alright? It may be a bit confusing at first, but when they get to present times, it will hopefully be more understandable. Elizabeth is Middle Ages Casey. And Arthur is Middle Ages Derek. Please let me know what you think, and enjoy! R&R, please:D**

**-Jacki :)**

**Chapter One: Attempt One: Middle Ages**

King Richard sat in his throne, looking at the two young adults in front of him. It had been fourteen years since Verdd had prophesied the rescue of Richard's people, and he had been searching desperately for the two that were destined to help him correct his mistake. Verdd had finally been able to spot them out when they had both turned sixteen. They stood in front of the king, very confused and nervous.

"Come forward, children, and tell me your names." Richard spoke; his voice was deeper and rougher.

The girl stepped forward first, her long brown hair reaching her mid-back, her blue eyes making contact with the king's green ones. She curtsied low and cleared her throat, "My name is Elizabeth, your highness. My father is Conrad and my mother is Gabriella."

The king nodded, and motioned for the boy to come forward. He instantly obeyed and bowed low, his long brown hair falling over his face, covering his brown eyes, "I, sir, am Arthur. Son of Robertson and Cassandra."

The king stood, "Well, Elizabeth and Arthur, do you know why I have asked you both here?"

Arthur stood up quickly, "If this was about yesterday in the market, I did not _steal_ the apple, it had rolled off the stand and I was only putting it back."

King Richard chuckled, "No, son, it is not about the apple. It is about your destiny."

Elizabeth furrowed her eyebrows, "What do you mean, sir?"

The king looked over at Verdd, "They do not know. How are we to tell them of this?"

Verdd looked confused, "I do not know, your highness, I had expected them to just know, it was a very foolish idea on my part."

King Richard walked over to the two and put his hands on their shoulders, "Elizabeth, Arthur, you two are destined to save your people… our people!"

Elizabeth glanced over at Arthur, doubtfully, "Sire, with all due respect, the only thing Arthur can save is his own rear end. He can barely do _that_."

Arthur glared at Elizabeth, "Sir, I don't think that this _girl_ can do anything but complain and think she is royalty."

King Richard frowned, "Silence! Both of you! I need you two to settle your differences and work together. I do not know what exactly it is that you two have to do. But I need you to get along. Please."

Elizabeth took another glance and sighed, "If it will help the kingdom, I will agree to cooperate with his infidel for the time being." And she stuck out her hand, grudgingly, towards Arthur.

Arthur looked at her hand in disgust, "Sire, isn't there any other girl in the kingdom I can work with. Lyrena is very… suitable."

Elizabeth snorted in disgust, as King Richard rounded on the boy, "Arthur! This is serious! Fate has chosen you two, and you must get this right. Before you reach your seventeenth year."

"But I turn seventeen in three months!" Arthur exclaimed.

"Then I suggest you get over whatever grudge you have towards this young girl and work together to find out what it is fate has called you to do."

Arthur looked over at Elizabeth, and even though it looked like he was going through physical pain, he shook her hand quickly, and pulled it away as if he had been burnt by her touch. She rolled her eyes and folded her arms over her chest, turning away from Arthur.

"The sooner we finish, the better of we both shall be!" she said and promptly left the room after curtsying to the king once more.

Arthur let out a deep breath and turned to the king, "You have my word, that I will try my hardest to save our people. Even if it kills me."

King Richard nodded, "Let's hope it does not come to that."

Arthur nodded and bowed low before following Elizabeth out of the castle. He caught up to her and put his hands on her shoulders, to stop her. She bit her lip and looked up at him.

"What?" she asked impatiently, "You have hated me ever since we could walk. Do you really think we can just begin to like each other because the king told us to?"

Arthur sighed, "Listen, Elizabeth, I want to try. My mother died because of the curse that was put on King Richard. I want to do anything I can to stop this."

Elizabeth stepped away from him, "I am sorry, Arthur, but I just think that this is too unbelievable. I don't think you and I will ever be able to get along."

Arthur stared after her as she walked away, not once looking back. He put his hands over his face and he tried to think of a way that he could convince Elizabeth to work with him. He needed to help the king, he knew it was necessary, he just had to convince Elizabeth.

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A whole month flew by without even one word being said between the two sixteen-year olds. Arthur grew frustrated and was running out of time and ideas. Elizabeth went on to act like nothing had happened. She had put the day in the king's court behind her, and she was doing everything that she would normally. The king had not summoned them back yet, but Arthur had a feeling that they were being watched. One day, he felt like someone was glaring at the back of his head and it made all the hair on his neck stand on end. He now knew that he had to do something about Elizabeth and quick.

He hurriedly walked down the street from where he had previously been inspecting a juicy looking apple, to where he knew Elizabeth would be collecting food for her family. He hurried over to her and grabbed her arm, pulling her away from the cart before she had a chance to choose anything. He pulled her over to the tree, ignoring her grunts and resisting.

He finally stopped when they were under the shade of the tree and hidden from the village by it. He didn't drop her hand because he knew that she would run away if he did. He looked straight in her eyes and grew serious, "Elizabeth, I know you don't ever believe you and I can get along, but please, put away your pride and I shall put away mine. I am willing to start anew if you are. Please. We are not doing this for us. We are doing this for the king. For the kingdom. For our family and friends. Please."

Elizabeth stared into his eyes and sighed, "I just can not do it, Arthur. As much as I would like to, I have no idea what we are supposed to do or how we are supposed to do it."

"Why don't we just start to get along, and we can work together and find out?"

"Fourteen years of hatred can't go away in just one month, Arthur."

His hand was slipping off her arm and she began to back away, "Please, Elizabeth, do not walk away. Please help me. I can not do this without you. You heard the king."

She shook her head, "I just can't, I am sorry." And with that, she walked away, leaving Arthur feeling helpless and lost.

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Two months passed and Verdd looked down on the kingdom from the window in the king's throne room. He saw Arthur and his father walking out of the village to prepare for the traditional father and son hunt. It happened whenever a man's son turns seventeen, the age where they officially became a man. Today was the day that Arthur turned seventeen. The day Verdd and King Richard had hoped would not come so soon. They knew Arthur and Elizabeth had never been able to get along and work together. When the king had summoned them both, Elizabeth had said she could not be taken away from her family at the time because her mother was terribly ill from the lack of food from the famine. Arthur took that time to explain that Elizabeth had given up and would not help him no matter how hard he tried.

The magician watched sadly as the boy and his father disappeared into the woods, "He tried so hard, it is such a pity that all his efforts were for not."

"What happens now, Verdd?" King Richard asked.

Verdd looked at the king with a very serious look on his face, "Your highness, Elizabeth and Arthur will be sent forward in time to try again, and we… we will just simply have to trust that in the future they will have better luck than they did here."

King Richard rubbed his temples, "So what I feared is true, while they are working in the future, I will be left here, in the present, watching my people die, and becoming known as the worst king in history."

While King Richard and Verdd were facing what Elizabeth and Arthur's failure meant to them, the two young adults were going about their day as if nothing was going to happen. Arthur was trying to enjoy his father and son hunt even though it meant that the three months had passed and that he and Elizabeth had failed. While Elizabeth just didn't even care and didn't even realize that it was today that marked the end of their first attempt to save their people.

Little did they know that as more time went on, the more their people grew… So the farther they go into the future, the bigger responsibility they will have.

At the exact same time, everything around Elizabeth and Arthur froze and they were able to move around, while everything else was still and silent. She ran outside of her house and tried to find someone else who was not frozen to try and find out why everyone was frozen. At first she thought it was Rampart, but then she saw Arthur running out of the woods, looking terrified, his face mirrored her own.

"Elizabeth!" he called running toward her.

"Arthur!" she didn't care if she hated him, he wasn't frozen like everyone else, and she only wanted someone else to be seeing this so she knew she wasn't insane.

They met each other in the middle of the street and they grabbed each other's hands. They were both terrified and neither of them knew what to do or what was going to happen. But suddenly, their touching palms began to burn and a bright light burst from between their hands, enveloping them both in a gleaming ball of light.

And then suddenly, they were gone as the light enveloped them completely, then disappeared, and the rest of the world sped back up to life again.


	3. Chapter Two: Attempt Two: 19th Century

**A/N: Ok, so 19th Century American Casey is Danielle, and Derek is Bobby. We're almost done with the past stuff, so please stick with me:D R&R, please!**

**-Jacki :)**

**Chapter Two: Attempt Two: 19****th**** Century America**

On a farm in Pennsylvania, a man and his wife welcomed into the world a beautiful baby daughter. They named her Danielle and dressed her in the best cloth clothes they had made for her. They heard a noise outside the house and a knock came on the door. The father went to go open the door and saw their neighbors. He let them in, smiling at their 3-month old baby boy in his mother's arms. He let them in and led them to his wife and his daughter.

"Her name is Danielle." He said proudly.

Her mother smiled up at the neighbors and held her daughter tight, "I see Bobby is getting bigger."

The other mother held her son tighter, "Yes. He is." She smiled.

"I have a feeling that Bobby and Danielle will be the greatest of friends!" the father of Danielle said, smiling down at his wife and daughter.

The other three parents smiled and looked down at their children.

How wrong they were.

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Sixteen year old Bobby sat on his horse, waiting for the sun to rise so he and his father could get to work on their vegetable farm. He was staring the house that was a good mile and a half away. That was where Danielle lived. Danielle. The one girl he couldn't stand to be in the same area with. The one girl he seemed to care about more than the rest, even though they didn't get along at all.

Bobby turned his head to get Danielle out of his mind and noticed the sun rising over the distant horizon. He smiled, finally he would be able to do some work and distract himself from his neighbor. His father was bound to come out in a few minutes, and help Bobby to attach the plow to his horse, Gregory.

Just as he guessed, his father, Nicholas hurried out of his house and went over to his son. Bobby quickly slid off of Gregory and held the reins firm as his father pulled the plow over onto Gregory's back. After that was done, Nicholas began the plowing and Bobby was sent to the far garden to pick the ripe tomatoes and bring them inside for his mother. As Bobby grabbed the bright red fruits, he smiled to himself thinking about how he and Danielle were supposed to walk into the town today, because their parents were delusional and thought they were best friends. They were supposed to go to town to bring the produce and livestock to the customers. It was a task they had done for over five years now and it was always an interesting time. Danielle tried to completely ignore Bobby while all the while; he's trying his best to get her to react by annoying her.

It was his weakness, he would admit it, he could annoy her all day long, and he loved it. He especially loved the reactions he got from her. In his mind, that was the best part. That was probably why she hated him, but he didn't care. Sooner or later she had to realize that she was just fun to pick on. Of course, there were the times when she was just so annoying that even Bobby couldn't stand her. She would be all neat and perfectionist-like, that Bobby would steer clear away from her, and when she was like that, she would freak out on him any time he annoyed her. And it wasn't a good reaction.

Soon, his basket was full of ripe tomatoes and he sighed, he would now have to pick out all the ripe peas, which was not an easy job, even though he had been doing it for as long as he could remember. Sometimes he wished he lived in town, like so many of his friends. He thought they were so lucky, going to public schools and having indoor jobs and chores. Not once did any of them have to clean potatoes and carrots, or ever cut their fingers while trimming plants. They had the good life, or so Bobby thought.

The sun got higher and higher in the sky and made sweat collect on the back of Bobby's neck. He stood up from his current position of picking potatoes and looked over at Danielle's house. He saw her out in her fields, feeding and rounding up their cows. He knew she was picking out the best ones to take into town and he smiled, they would be taking cows on this trip. How fun. He always seemed to annoy her the most when she was leading large animals.

He knew that they would have to leave soon, right before lunch, or they would never bet back before dark. And their parents were very strict about them being back before dark. It was not safe out in the middle of the country alone in the dark. Bobby finished gathering the potatoes, and one by one he brought all the baskets of fruits and vegetables to his mother in the house, so she could pick out the ones she needed to keep and the ones that would sell the best.

As he waited patiently for his mom to separate the produce, he looked out the window and saw Danielle leading two large cows away from the herd. He couldn't see her face but he knew it was scrunched up like it always was when she was upset about taking animals away from the others; especially when they made noises of sadness. It was one of those things about Danielle that Bobby had learned by observation. He turned around when his mom cleared her throat and pushed the now half-empty baskets toward him. He smiled and nodded as he went back outside to ready the carriage to carry all the produce the long way to town.

Once he prepared the carriage and had Gregory attached to it, he climbed onto the seat and directed the horse towards Danielle's house. She was there waiting on her own horse, the two cow roped together and the rope was in her hand, her knuckles white over it.

"Do you want to ride in the carriage and I'll lead the cows? That might be easier." Bobby offered, knowing what was gong to be the reply.

She raised her eyebrows at him and cleared her throat, "No thank you, Bobby. I am perfectly capable of leading my own cattle into town."

He smirked and shrugged, "Alright. I was just offering. But suit yourself."

They started out riding toward town and Bobby could tell that Danielle was beginning to regret not letting him lead the cows. He smiled and continued to lead his horse down the road to the town. It took a good two hours to actually get to the town and three hours to get through all of the sales. It was now nearing five p.m. and Bobby and Danielle were very tired from the heat. They were ready to go home and they were packing up the empty baskets when a cry rang out in the middle of the street.

An elderly man stood in there, staring at Bobby and Danielle as if he were looking at two ghosts. Bobby leaned over and stood so he was partially blocking Danielle and whispered behind him, "Do you know this man?"

She shook her head, her eyes widening in fear as the man hurried over to them, a crazy look in his eyes. She stepped further behind Bobby, almost obscuring her from sight. The man was very odd looking. He wore a long robe and his white beard hung all the way to his waist. He finally approached the two and stood in front of them, beaming.

"Arthur! Elizabeth! I have been searching every century looking for you. It is a miracle that I found the time-travel spell in my book."

"Wait, you are a witch?" Bobby asked, and Danielle peered around from behind his neck.

"I am a magician, thank you, Arthur."

"My name is not Arthur. My name is Bobby."

"No. You are Arthur, and she is Elizabeth."

Bobby shook his head, "No. We don't know you, and if you keep this up, I will let everyone know that you are talking about witchcraft!" he hissed.

The old man shook his head, sadly, "You do not remember your past lives. Oh, how much easier this would be if you did. So, you do not remember anything about King Richard, the curse, and how you two are supposed to save the people?"

Bobby and Danielle just stared at him blankly. "It appears not. Well, my name is Verdd; I am a magician from the Middle Ages. The time I come from, you two are Elizabeth and Arthur. You have disappeared from that time, and you were sent here, to this time. You were sent forward in time to try again, because you failed to work together and save King Richard's people from the curse. So you two now have to work together and save your people, or the curse will grow worse and worse!"

"So, if we are from the past, then how can we fix a curse from hundreds of years ago?" Bobby asked, curiously.

"I am not sure. But you have to find a way before you turn seventeen, Arthur."

Bobby sighed, "I am Bobby. And I turn seventeen in a month and a half!"

Verdd hung his head, "I have come too late. No matter. You two will have to do this now!"

Danielle stepped out from behind Bobby and folded her arms over her chest, "Why should we believe you?"

"Because you must! In case you want hundreds, maybe even thousands of people to dies, I suggest you listen to me, and work together to break the curse!"

"Work with Bobby? That's impossible. He is the laziest person I have ever met in my entire life, and I can not stand him. Besides, I don't even believe this! If you so much as utter one syllable about this again, I will tell the entire own that you are practicing witchcraft! Now leave us alone and let us go back to our homes." She turned around and hurried back to the carriage to finish getting ready to leave.

Bobby looked into Verdd's eyes and somehow knew he could trust him, "I will try to get her to believe. I will try to help!"

"Remember, though, you have to do this together. You can not do this without her, Art- I mean, Bobby."

Bobby nodded, and then hurried over to Danielle. He said nothing to her until they were back on the road. He was sitting on the now lighter carriage, and she was now just riding her horse beside him. She was groaning and looking up at the sky.

"Great, because of that crazy old man, we are going to be It will be after dark by the time we get home now!"

Bobby looked over at her, "Danielle, what if he was telling the truth? What if we were really meant to break this king's curse?"

"Not you, too! He was crazy, Bobby! You can not honestly believe him?!"

Bobby sighed, "Will you hate me more if I said yes?"

"Bobby, if you say that you believe this… I will never speak to you again."

He smiled, "Is that a threat, or a promise?"

She snorted and then made her horse trot faster so she was out of hearing range to Bobby. He sighed, it did not look like it would be easy to convince. He just somehow knew that they were meant to do it. He couldn't really explain it. So he was quiet the rest of the way home. He didn't say a word to her when they got home. In fact, he let two weeks go by before he even said a word to her again. He knew time was ticking until his birthday and he had to hurry.

"Danielle!" he cried as he ran out to meet her as she was grooming her horse.

She furrowed her eyebrows, "Oh, it's you."

"Yes, it's me. Danielle, we need to talk."

"If it's about that crazy witch man in town, then you're not going to get anything else out of me!"

Bobby sighed, "But just listen, if it really is true, and we didn't do anything, then it would be our fault that all those people die!"

"No, it would be the stupid king who got them cursed in the first place… and what am I saying?!" she cried, setting down the horse brush, "Bobby, listen, I don't believe in things like this. And if you do, then you are not a very smart person. Bobby, take my advice for once in your life. Let this go! Forget about it! There is no curse and that man was just crazy!"

Bobby sighed and left her to groom her horse, wishing he could have somehow got through to her.

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On the day of Bobby's seventeenth birthday, his parents sent him and Danielle into town to go buy something special to celebrate that night. They both rode on horses and they didn't say anything to each other. They hadn't spoken since Bobby had last tried to convince her Verdd was right. He felt awful, and he hated it. It was his birthday, and all he could do was feel guilty for not doing anything to break the curse he knew nothing about.

When they finally got to the town, they had just gotten off their horses and hadn't even had time to go into the shop before Verdd came rushing to them.

"So, did you do anything?" he asked, anxiously, staring wildly at the both of them.

Danielle groaned outwardly and stood up close to Verdd, "I told you not to talk to me about this anymore!"

"I tried, Verdd, I really did. I am sorry." Bobby said, sadly.

Danielle glared at him, mouth open wide, but then turned back to the magician, "I told you what would happen when you talked about that to me again. So, here I go!"

She ran out into the middle of the street and yelled at the top of her lungs, as Bobby and Verdd watched fearfully, "WITCH! THIS MAN IS PRACTICING WITCHCRAFT!!!!" she cried and watched, triumphantly as all the townspeople at once circled Verdd angrily.

Bobby backed away from the angry crowd at once and ran over to Danielle, "What have you done? He can not die in this time! He doesn't belong here! Why would you do that?!" he yelled over the noise of the townspeople's screams.

She turned to him to answer, but before she did, everything went eerily quiet and they turned to the crowd. Everyone seemed to be standing completely still, as if they were frozen. She turned back to Bobby, fear in her eyes, "What is going on? Is that man doing magic?"

Bobby shook his head, "I don't know."

Danielle grabbed Bobby's hand and pulled him closer, trying to find some comfort and reassurance. And then, suddenly, their touching palms began to burn and a bright light burst from between their hands, enveloping them both in a gleaming ball of light.

And then suddenly, they were gone as the light enveloped them completely, then disappeared, and the rest of the world sped back up to life again, and the crowd around Verdd began to prepare to burn him at the stake.


	4. Chapter Three:Attempt Three: Present Day

**A/N: Ok, so now we're into the present day Canada where the Derek and Casey we know and love are. Hopefully you guys haven't already given up on me! This chapter may be a bit rushed, but I needed to get this chapter done so I can move onto the more lengthy chapters that need to be told on their own! Please, please stick with me! R&R, please! **

**-Jacki :)**

**Chapter Three: Attempt Three: Present Day Canada**

Well, we all (hopefully) know what happened that fateful day when George Venturi and Nora McDonald got married. George's son, Derek and Nora's daughter, Casey flat out did not like each other, and everyone could tell. But over the year and a half they were around each other, they got to the point where they could stand each other. Fortunately, it was farther than either of their past lives got. Unfortunately it wasn't close enough. Derek's seventeenth birthday was coming closer, and they were not any closer to actually getting along and working together.

It was a month before Derek's birthday before they ever found out about their past and their responsibility.

They were home alone, Edwin and Lizzie were at friends' houses and George and Nora had taken Marti over to Abby, it would be an all day thing. So, as Casey sat up in her room, doing homework and Derek was in the room next to her playing his guitar, it was just like any other day. Casey heard a knock on the door and she stood up, knowing that Derek would not answer it. She hurried down, passing his open door, and down the stairs. The knocking was getting louder and faster, so Casey rushed to it and opened it.

"Elizabeth? Or is it Danielle?" a man with a long white beard and an old robe stood in her doorway, staring at her cautiously.

She stepped back, "Uh, neither of those are my name."

He stepped closer, crossing the threshold and closing the door behind him, "Oh good gracious, you forgot again. This repeating nonsense is getting quite tiresome.

Casey back away further and glanced behind her, "What do you mean. Who are you?"

The man stepped a bit closer, "Oh, how silly of me, my name is Verdd. And I am from the past. The Middle Ages to be exact."

"DEREK!" she cried, scared, up the stairs as she backed away further from 'Verdd'.

Derek came running down the stairs, he had heard the fear in her voice, then he noticed Verdd, and his eyes narrowed, "Who are you?" he demanded more than asked, as he folded his arms over his chest and walked over to the Casey and Verdd, standing a little in front of her.

"My name is Verdd and I am from the Middle Ages, I have come to remind you of your responsibilities."

Derek scoffed, "The Middle Ages. Right."

Verdd frowned and formed his hands as if he was holding an invisible ball. A bright light appeared in his hand and he threw the light towards the television and it automatically turned on by itself, "Go watch it. I think you will see something of interest to you."

Casey grabbed Derek's arm tight and followed him to the T.V. they stood for a second, but as soon as they saw themselves, they plopped down on to the couch. The whole events of King Richard, the curse and Elizabeth and Arthur played out before them on their television screen. Their jaws dropped as the scene changed to Bobby and Danielle, and Verdd explaining everything about their destiny.

As the screen went black, Casey turned to look at Derek, "Do you believe all this?"

Derek looked back at her, "Well, you saw it, didn't you? It seems pretty convincing."

Casey shook her head, "It's mind-blowing. If I hadn't seen it for myself, I never would have believed it."

Verdd smiled and walked over to you, "I wish this would have been this easy for your former lives. It was always Elizabeth that did not believe, though. But do you now?" he looked into Casey's eyes.

Casey looked from Derek to Verdd to Derek again, "I guess I do believe in it. I can't say that I don't, after seeing all of that."

"Good. Good. Now, there is one slight problem though, the curse has now enlarged. The whole world is at risk now. If you fail this time, there is no going forward into time to prevent it." Verdd's face was very serious now and he was staring at both of them now, going back and forth.

Derek stood up, "So, what exactly are we supposed to do… to save… the world…?"

Verdd looked into Derek's eyes, "That is the second problem we have. The prophecy was not specific in what you were needed to do. But the other two tries you had, the only reason nothing worked was because you two could not get along. Do you get along in this life?"

Derek and Casey smiled at each other, as many memories of arguments and fights filled their heads, many of them consisting of Casey screaming, 'DER-EK!'. Derek rubbed the back of his neck and looked guiltily at Verdd.

"Define 'get along'…" he said, holding back a smirk.

Verdd sighed, "You do not get along in this century either?!"

Casey glanced over at Derek, "We can at times… I guess."

"I mean, we seem to be happier when we're fighting. It's really odd. We just love to annoy each other." Derek added.

"But do you hate each other? Your past selves did. Now do you?"

Casey and Derek looked at each other, "I could never hate Casey…" Derek said, quietly.

Casey's eyes widened, "And even though sometimes I would like to strangle Derek, I don't hate him!"

Verdd nodded, "You two are making progress! Now, since you two can at least stand one another, we need to be able to work together to figure this out?"

Derek and Casey again turned to each other and nodded, "We'll do our best!" Casey said, and Derek nodded in agreement.

"Splendid! Now, we must get to work immediately! Wait, Arthur, when do you turn seventeen?"

Derek looked taken aback at first at being called Arthur, but then was more confused about why his birthday was important, "In a little less than a month."

Verdd dropped his head, "It's sooner than we thought. Did you not notice how Arthur and Bobby both turned seventeen, and that's when they disappeared? Arthur, we need to finish this before the day you turn seventeen!"

"We're supposed to save the _world_ in less than a _month_?!" Derek asked.

Verdd nodded sadly, "It appears that way."

"This is impossible! We don't even know what we're supposed to do!" Casey said, leaning her head back on the couch.

Verdd looked around the house, and then quickly looked outside the window, "Oh no, they have found you two!" he cried as he quickly pulled away from window. Go lock the door!" he whispered.

Derek hurried to the door and locked it silently, "Who? Who found us?"

Verdd motioned for the two of them to follow him away from the windows and over by the stairs, "The evil magician, Rampart, his descendants have grown up hearing of tales of destroying you two before you can stop the curse. I do not know how they found out that it was you two, but they are here!"

"How do you know it's them?" Casey asked.

"They look exactly like him, there are three of them. I am guessing they are triplets. But, we can not let them get you. It would be dangerous to us all. If they destroy you, the whole world will be destroyed as well!"

Casey gulped and looked over at Derek, his face was pale, and his eyes wide, "How can we get away from them? Are they magicians too?"

They should not be, magic died out after my time. But, they will be very powerful, and will have many ways of destroying someone. Believe me, I know Rampart and his family. They will be fierce."

There was a loud pounding on the door, "We need you to open up this door now!" a rough, deep, loud voice called out.

Casey grabbed Derek's arm again, in surprise and he stepped closer to her, "We need to get out of here, and quick!" he whispered and grabbed her hand to lead her out the back door, Verdd following.

"But what about Mom, George and the kids? They will destroy them too!"

Derek swallowed hard, and looked into Casey's eyes, fear flooding his, "I know, but we have to get out of here, we have to save the world. Hopefully they won't hurt them until they find us. And then we can save them. But they are safe now, but we're not! So, please, Casey, come on!"

She looked around the house one last time, but before she could say anything, the door was being pounded on again and it sounded like they were trying to bust it down. Derek pulled on Casey's hand and led her around to the back door, with Verdd close behind them. Derek quickly looked out the small window on the door to check and see if the coast was clear, and he nodded. He opened the door, and let Casey out, and then he followed, keeping his hand in hers. Verdd followed and silently closed the door behind them.

"Quick, we'll cut through all of the backyards until we get far enough down the street to turn." Derek suggested, keeping his voice low.

"Where will we go?" Casey asked as she hurried after Derek who was pulling on her hand as they ran through the backyards.

He looked back at her, "I don't know!"

Verdd looked behind them and then quickened his pace, "Come, you two, they are on to us, we have to find somewhere to hide, and quick!"

Derek looked hopelessly around the backyards, but found no escape. Casey screamed as she heard a shot ring out and saw a garden gnome explode just feet away from her. Derek pulled her closer to him and they ran faster. Derek pulled Casey around a corner and Verdd was right behind them. They hid in a large bush that hid them all perfectly well. As they saw the first two men run by, they stayed absolutely silent, but as the third one was cautiously walking around, holding his gun out in every direction, Casey lost her footing and slipped off her branch, causing the bush to shake. The man with the gun quickly turned to the bush, gun pointed toward the middle of the bush, where Casey was. Derek grabbed Casey by the waist to catch her and he positioned himself so his back was facing the man with the gun, and Casey was in front of him, looking into his eyes, terrified.

The man loaded his gun and pulled the trigger and the bullet zipped into the bush.


	5. Chapter Four: Trying to Find the Cure

**A/N: Sorry this took so long, school has really been catching up to me, and I've been having to go back and forth between my mom's and dad's, so I never had the document when I needed it. :/ So, I hope this was worth the wait! R&R, please!**

**-Jacki :)**

**Chapter Four: Trying to Find the Cure**

Casey held Derek's arms tight as she heard the gunshot and he looked into her eyes, an intense look in them. The look in his eyes scared her more than the gunshot. They heard a rustle behind them and Casey saw a bird fall out of the branch as the bullet hit it. It fell to the man's feet and he looked down on it with a look of disgust.

"It's just a dang bird." He grunted then hurried after his brothers.

Casey and Derek sighed and Casey laid her head on his chest as she caught the breath she had not known she had been holding. Derek looked around at Verdd to make sure he was all right, while keeping a firm grip on Casey. Verdd was peeking through the branches, watching as the triplets ran away, searching for them. As they ran out of sight, Verdd let out a long sigh of relief. He turned back to the other two.

"They are gone. We have a good amount of time to find somewhere to hide. We can not go back to your house. They will surely be checking there again once they find that they have lost us."

Derek and Casey nodded then Derek slowly and carefully helped Casey out of the bush. Verdd followed and Derek climbed out after the two of them. They looked around, just in case the triplets had circled around.

"Case, do you remember that old house we passed that day we walked home from school?" Derek asked.

Casey smiled, "The one you tried to scare me into thinking it was haunted?"

Derek grinned, "That's the one!"

"What about it?"

"Well, it's been boarded up and abandoned for the longest time. We could hide there!"

Casey nodded, "That's a good idea."

Verdd looked around again, "Good. Hurry and lead the way, they could be on their way back any moment now."

Derek grabbed Casey's hand again and began to cut back through the backyards they had previously come from. Verdd had thrown his beard over his shoulder and was running after them. They got to the end of the street and Derek stopped for a second to gather his bearings. He then turned right and he pulled Casey along with him, Verdd right behind them. It was a few more backyards before they came to the old, boarded up house. Derek led them to the back door and jiggled the handle. He knew it would be locked, but he didn't know how to get in there without showing signs of entry. Casey smirked and pushed herself in front of him.

She pulled something out of her hair and stuck it into the lock. She played with it a little before there was finally a click. The door opened and Casey smiled triumphantly at Derek, who smirked back. They took one last look around before they entered, making sure no one could see them going into the house. They quickly filed into the house and Derek shut the door behind them. Verdd began to search the house and quickly found a candle. He lit it with his magic and set it on an old dusty table. Casey looked around the house and noticed how old and antique everything was. She smiled and went over to a large staircase, her fingers gently gliding across the smooth, yet dusty, wood. Derek watched her with a smile, but then turned to Verdd.

"Those guys won't hurt my family will they?" he asked in an undertone so Casey couldn't hear him.

"I do not think so. They were told to destroy you two. I do not think your family will matter to them. They might hold them hostage to trap you, but I do not think that they will harm them."

Derek sighed with relief, then he looked over at Casey, "Will we be safe here Verdd?"

Verdd looked around at the house, and at the boarded up windows, "As long as Rampart's descendants do not catch wind of us staying here, we will be perfectly safe."

Derek nodded, "Good. Is there anyway we could get some supplies, like food, clothes, blankets and pillows?" he asked as Casey tested out the stairs.

Verdd shook his head, "We can not leave. I can summon up some food with my magic, but that is it. It is possible that there are beds up stairs."

Derek nodded once more and went over to Casey, "Case? We're going to have to stay here. For a while. We can't leave or they will find us."

Casey looked down at him from where she stood on the fifth stairs, "Oh." She said quietly, "I'll go upstairs and see if there are beds we could use, or something."

"I'll come with you," he offered, and after giving him an odd look, she turned around and continued up the stairs. He followed her, stepping very carefully on the old steps.

They went into one of the bedrooms and saw three beds, covered in a layer of dust. Casey smirked and went over to the closest one, "Well, aren't we lucky. Exactly three beds. We need to clean them off. Come, Derek, help me."

Derek obeyed, and hurried over to her, "You know, Casey," he began as they took the blankets off the beds, "This saving the world thing, it's proving to be dangerous. Are you sure you're up to it?"

Casey threw a blanket down and put one hand on her hip and the other through her hair, "I don't know, Derek, I just don't know. It would be a heck of a lot easier if we knew what we had to do."

Derek put a blanket on the floor on top of hers, "We'll be able to do it, and I'm sure. It can't be that hard, I mean, the curse was made in the Middle Ages, how difficult could that be?"

Casey sighed and pulled off the last blanket, "I don't know. It would be a whole lot easier if we knew what the curse was…." She smacked her forehead, "Of course. Verdd!"

She tossed the blanket onto the floor and ran down the stairs. Derek took a moment to register what had just happened, and then he took off after her. She hurried over to Verdd and took a deep breath.

"Verdd, what was the curse that Rampart put on King Richard?"

Verdd looked taken aback, then he cleared his throat, "The curse says this: 'May your people die with intense pain, until a boy can stop being so vain. And a girl can look past her hate, and they can come together before it's too late.'"

Casey looked over at Derek as he said it, and her eyes widened. Verdd calmly walked away and went upstairs, to leave them alone so they could talk. Derek looked over at Casey, whose eyes were still wide.

"Derek. It's talking about us!"

"Well, I figured, since we were the ones destined to save it. It must be talking about us."

"Danielle and Elizabeth hated Bobby and Arthur, and I used to think I hated you! And Bobby and Arthur were very vain. And so are you. We just have to change, that's all!"

"But what about the last part? 'Come together'? What does that mean?" Derek furrowed his eyebrows.

"I'm not sure. Bobby and Danielle were neighbors all their lives. Arthur and Elizabeth had known each other their whole lives. And we've lived in the same house for almost two years now. We have in every since 'come together'… I think. There must be something else he meant by 'come together'."

Derek looked around the room, trying to figure out what it could mean, but he came up with no answers. Casey came up with none as well. Verdd was making noises upstairs and Casey grinned.

"Come on, Derek, let's go give him a hand." He nodded and the two of them hurried up stairs to see what Verdd was doing to make so much noise.

When they turned into the room that they had previously been in, they saw the elderly magician by the window, messing with boards and moving them about, so that the room was in light one minute and in darkness the next. The two walked over to him and watched for a moment.

"Verdd? What exactly are you doing?" Casey asked as he, once more, moved a large board away from the window and looked out it.

Verdd put a finger to his lips, "Shh, Elizabeth, one of Rampart's descendants are outside. I am trying to make sure he can not see inside this window."

"Well, why don't you just keep it boarded up?" Derek asked, watching as Verdd hurriedly looked over the board, then put it back up against the window.

"Because, I am certain he will leave soon, so I am trying to see when it he does leave." Verdd explained.

Casey watched as he went through the process again. She hid a smile and looked out the window as he pulled the board away once more. Casey spotted the other two hurrying towards their brother. She quickly pushed the board back against the window and made sure it would stay there. She turned to Verdd as he looked over at her, curiously.

"He's called his brothers over. He knows we're here. Or he at least suspects it. We have to be careful. Do not mess with the board anymore, Verdd."

The magician looked worried, "His brothers have joined him? That is not good." With that he hurried out of the room and back down the stairs.

Derek and Casey looked at each other for a second, then hurried down after him. They made as little noise as possible as they ran down the stairs, trying to see where Verdd went. When they got to the first floor they looked around and saw Verdd doing something by the back door that they had sneaked in. Derek hurried over there, trying to stay in front of Casey, for safety. A purple smoke-like substance was coming from Verdd's fingertips as he ran his hands up and down the door.

"What are you doing?" Derek whispered as he walked up to Verdd's side. Casey peered out at him from behind Derek.

"I am sealing the door with magic. They will not be able to sneak into it like we did."

Derek nodded, "Good idea, we should do that with all the windows and the front door as well."

Casey bit her lip, "I'll be right back!" she whispered and quickly darted off back up the stairs.

Derek stared after her, eyebrows raised, but shrugged and continued to watch Verdd block the door.

Casey had gone back into the room with the beds. She sat down on one and pulled out her cell phone. She wanted so badly to call her family, but they wouldn't believe her. What could she tell them?

"_Hey Mom! Descendants of a Middle Ages magician are chasing me, because Derek and I have been chosen to save the world and break an evil curse. Oh, and by the way, Derek and I aren't really supposed to be in this time. We're really from the Middle Ages." _

Yeah, that would go over real well! She sighed and slid the cell phone back into her pocket. She looked around the room and took a deep breath.

"They'll be safe. Don't worry."

Casey looked up at the sound of Derek's voice. She nodded, "I know. I just wish I could warn them about the house. If we could keep them away from the house, maybe they won't have to be worried when those three show up looking for us. They might even be taken hostage!"

Derek sat down on the bed across from her, "They won't hurt them. They want us, not our family. Once we break this curse, everything will go back to normal."

Casey looked at him, "Normal? Derek we're from the Middle Ages, we shouldn't even be in this century! And yet, here we are! Living a totally different life! How did this happen?"

Derek shook his head; "I have no idea. I didn't even believe in magic."

"No. How did it get to be us having to work together? We never get along. Some magician shows up on our doorstep and we all of a sudden do?"

Derek ran his hands through his hair, "Case, we have less than a month to do this. And every time our past selves tried, you always doubted it. It's as if you don't want to get along with me."

Casey looked down at the floor and play with a string that was coming off her shirt, "It's not that I don't want to. It's just the only time we've ever been able to get along is if we both get something out of it."

"I'd say having the world be safe and not destroyed is something we'd both get out of it." Derek grinned, but the grin disappeared as Casey looked back up at him, tears in her eyes.

"Derek, we can't just pretend to get along. It won't work. We have to truly work together to do this!"

Derek moved over to her bed and sat next to her, "Casey, look at me." She looked up at him into his eyes, "I never hated you. I meant that when I said it earlier. I just liked seeing you get aggravated. I didn't ever do it out of hatred or just a general dislike. I just liked fighting with you." He muttered under his breath, "It seemed the only way you paid any attention to me."

Casey's mouth grew wide, "Derek. You wanted my attention?"

Derek looked up at the ceiling and then all around the room. Then he looked back into her eyes and nodded.

A small blush appeared on her cheeks and she opened her mouth to say something, but before any words came out, there was a loud crash from downstairs and Derek and Casey sprang up off the bed.

"Verdd?" Derek called as he and Casey ran down the stairs, "Verdd?"

They finally got down the stairs and turned into the kitchen. They saw a large hole crashed into one of the windows and Verdd lying on the ground. Casey ran over to Verdd as Derek went over to the window and peeked out of it. Casey rolled Verdd over onto his back and saw a gaping wound in his stomach.

"Oh my gosh! Verdd, are you all right?"

"I'll be fine. You two need to get out of here. They're going to burn the house. I saw the fire. You need to leave now!"

Derek ducked down under the window as a flaming match flew threw the already made hole. Casey watch in horror as the match landed on the wooden floor and the fire began to spread rapidly.

"Derek! We can't just leave Verdd!" Derek looked over at the two and ran over to them. He lifted Verdd up in his arms and began to run to the front door.

"Casey come on! Now!"

Casey looked all around the house frantically.

"Casey!" Derek called, panicky, and standing idly by the door, holding Verdd in his arms, "Come on!"

Casey looked over at him and ran over to the back door, "Derek, take Verdd as far away from here as possible!" She put her hand on the doorknob and looked up at him, gulping.

"Casey! No! Come on!"

"They'll just chase us, and with Verdd injured we won't be able to get away fast enough. You go, take him far away!"

Derek shook his head; "I'm not leaving you! You can not give yourself in!"

Casey threw open the back door, "GO!" and with that, she ran out the door and slammed it behind her.

Derek watched; terrified as the flames engulfed the rest of the kitchen in flames, where Casey had once stood. He opened the front door and ran out. He looked down at Verdd as he ran, and prayed that he would be all right.

"You did the right thing, Arthur. Being able to listen to her, is a good sign of working together." Verdd said, taking deep breaths between words.

"I didn't want to listen to her." Derek said, running as fast as he could with dead weight in his arms, "She's giving herself in. How are we supposed to break the curse if she does that?"

"What if she is not giving herself in. Maybe she is trying to lure them off our trail. She will run away and then after she loses them, she will find us again."

Derek furrowed his brow; "I still don't like it. It's too dangerous. I should have done it!"

Verdd took a deep breath, "She could not have carried me. And I certainly could not have run this fast by myself."

Derek looked defeated, "If anything happens to her, I'll never be able to live with myself knowing I let her do it."

"Have faith in Elizabeth, Arthur. She is very brave. I am sure she will be coming back to us very soon."

Derek took a deep breath, "I hope you're right, Verdd. I hope you're right."

"Me too. Me too." Verdd whispered.

----------

Meanwhile, Casey flung herself out the back door and looked behind her as the flames burnt the door she had been touching seconds before. She ran out into the backyard, looking around, trying to see where Rampart's descendants went. She suddenly felt a hand go over her mouth and another hand grab her arm and hold behind her back. She struggled and the hands' grips just grew tighter. She threw her head back and hit the chin of the person holding her. She then jabbed her free elbow into his gut and back turned around as he let go of her. It was one of the descendants. She punched his nose and looked around for the other two. She saw them come from the side of the house and gulped. She had no idea how to escape three grown men with guns.

She thought of the look that Derek had had when she was leaving and knew that if she didn't try to escape, that it would be a worthless move. She would be giving herself into the enemy, and that meant that she and Derek wouldn't be able to save the world. So, thinking about Derek and Verdd, she took off running through the backyards, hoping it was the opposite way the boys were going. She heard a gun shot and let out a loud squeal of fear as a birdbath was shattered right beside her. She began to run faster than she ever had in her entire life. She was dodging yard gnomes and flowers and bushes best as she could, but the three men were still catching up on her. When she got to the end of the street, she turned the corner sharply and ran as fast as she could, hoping she could get to the end of this street before the three men even got onto it. Unfortunately, she heard another gunshot and watched as a large birdhouse broke right beside her head. She looked behind her and saw them catching up.

She groaned and went between two of the houses and out onto the actual street. She crossed the road and went between two of the houses there. She began to run the opposite way she had been running on the other side, trying to not show herself when she passed between house. She sighed as she looked around and didn't see the men right on her trail. She hurried as fast as she could down to the end of the street and leaned on the side of the last house. She was catching her breath and looked around the corner, carefully and saw them running through the yards trying to find her. She groaned and ran across the street again. She ran in the middle of her own street hoping that the men wouldn't spot her. She saw her house and ran between it and Emily's house. She then began to run towards the burning house.

She didn't see the men anywhere, but she knew it would not be safe to stop. She ran past the burning house, glancing at it sadly for a brief second. She then ran out onto the street, searching for Derek and Verdd, she had no idea where they would've gone, but she knew she had to find them before the men found her. Just as she thought she was safe, she heard another gun shot and felt a sharp pain in her left leg. She collapsed to ground as the bullet pierced her skin. Blood was gushing out of her wound, and it was soaking her jeans. She looked up and saw one of the men hurrying up to her; she noticed this one's nose was bleeding, he must be the one she punched. He smiled as he saw her lying there on the ground, hopeless. She bit her lip and looked up at him, fear in her eyes. His two brothers caught up to him and the three of them surrounded her. The pain in her leg was overwhelming and she clamped her mouth shut to keep from screaming.

The three brothers knelt down and grabbed her arms and legs. She did let out a scream as the one she punched grabbed both her legs and put pressure on her bullet wound.

"DEREK!" she cried as the brothers carried her away, "DEREK!"

The one grabbing her left arm raised a fist and pounded her head, instantly knocking her out. Her head lolled backward and lifeless as she was carried away and thrown into the back of a van.

--------

Derek's head perked up as he heard Casey's screams, "Casey!" he said and looked down at Verdd.

He had stopped at the park down the street from the burning house. They were hidden in a clump of trees, and Derek had set Verdd down in a soft patch of grass.

"She's in trouble, Verdd!"

Verdd nodded, "Go, go help her! You need her! Go! Don't worry about me!"

Derek nodded at him, "Thank you!" and then he took off onto the street.

He saw in the distance Casey being carried off by the three brothers, "CASEY!" he cried, but she looked lifeless, and the brothers didn't hear him. He saw them throw her into the back of a red van and he growled. How could he follow a vehicle? He began to run after it, but it was already out of sight when he turned the corner.

He sighed and collapsed onto the road. Taking deep breaths he looked up at the sky, "What am I supposed to do now?!"


	6. Chapter Five: How to Break a Curse

**A/N: So, this is a very short story, but I liked writing it:D And I hope you all liked reading it!! R&R, please!**

**-Jacki :)**

**Chapter Five: How to Break a Curse**

Derek ran back down to the park, searching for Verdd. He finally got back to the little place where he had hidden the magician. He approached him out of breath and looking very worried.

"Arthur, what is wrong? Where is Elizabeth?"

"They- they took her." Derek said, collapsing onto the roots of one of the trees.

"They took her? Took her where?!"

"I don't know! That's the problem!"

"Well, we have to find her!"

Derek bit back a sarcastic reply, "Do you have any magic to help me find her?"

"I do have a tracking globe. It might help."

"Can you show it to me?" Derek asked, losing his patience.

Verdd nodded and slowly sat up. He rubbed his hands together, and then spread them apart as if holding a large sphere. Then a large glowing ball appeared in his hands and he handed it over to Derek. Derek carefully took it into his hands and stared into it.

"Just say her name, and it will find her." Verdd's voice was growing weaker, and he was sliding down the tree.

Derek nodded and said in a whisper, "Casey McDonald."

The gas-like substance in the ball swirled around until it created the form of Casey. She was tied up and gagged and looked like she was in a concrete room. The view panned out and suddenly Derek saw a large boiler behind her. Then the view panned out again and Derek was looking at his high school. He jumped up.

"She's in the basement at the school!" He cried, but then looked down at Verdd who was breathing heavily, "But what about you, Verdd, you need some help."

"I'll be fine for the moment. Elizabeth needs you much more than I do." The old man positioned himself more comfortably on the roots.

Derek nodded, "Thank you." and with that he took off.

He began running to the school, trying not to think of what those goons were doing to Casey. If anything happened to her, Derek wouldn't know what to do. Wait, when did Derek get to be like this? He was usually cool under pressure. But that pressure was never having the girl he lo-

Having Casey near death. Derek sped up trying not think, just to run. He finally saw the school and let out a deep breath. How was he supposed to get into the basement? It was a Saturday afternoon, no one was there. But Casey and the three brothers had gotten in there, so he could, somehow. He circled the building until he was in the very back. He spotted where someone had broken through. He grinned and ran over to the broken window. He carefully climbed into it, making sure he did not cut himself on the broken bits of glass. He fell soundlessly onto the floor and quickly checked the empty halls.

He was in. Now all he had to do was find the way down to the basement. He began to creep down the hallways, trying to find a doorway or something trying to find some sort of sign to get down to Casey. He heard a loud, but muffled cry come from somewhere close and he turned around. He saw a large black door that looked out of place. He ran over to it and threw it open. There were stairs right as he opened the door and he quickly began to run down them. They ended in a dark room. Derek saw a small light a good distance ahead of him, and he slowly made his way to it.

He now heard laughter and a deep voice, "Vince, we now have the girl. We should kill her now. We don't need the boy. Without her, he can do nothing! Let's just kill her and get it over with."

"Quiet, Robert. This plan will work. He will find her, and then we can kill them both."

Now a smaller, voice spoke, "But what if we have the wrong two. How are we certain these two are the ones?"

The second voice, Vince, spoke harshly, "Michael, how dare you doubt my ways!"

"I was just saying, it could be possible that these are not them…"

"Oh shut _up_ Michael!" this was the one called Robert.

Derek chose that time to step into their little group by the boiler. Casey looked over the brothers' shoulders and saw him and her eyes widened. The brother in the middle took notice and swiveled around. He grabbed Derek by the collar of his shirt and threw him on the ground by Casey. Derek noticed the blood on her leg as he lifted his head up off the floor. He quickly sat up and moved over to her. The brother on the right drew his gun and pointed it right at Casey. Her eyes widened once more, and she scooted back as best as she could to the boiler. Derek scooted in front of her and the shot rang out, echoing in the large basement.

The bullet pierced Derek's chest and he fell on top of Casey's lap. He could hear her muffled screams and stared up at her. He slowly removed her gag and she looked down at him, tears in her eyes. The brother on the left tackled the brother that had shot Derek. The gun fell to the ground as Derek tried to speak to Casey.

"We… we never broke the… the… curse."

Casey shook her head, "Derek, I think what it meant by 'come together' was for us to fall in love. For me to look past my hate, and you to stop being so vain, and for us to fall in love." She took a deep breath and put her hands on his cheeks, "And Derek. I've loved you for a long time."

He took a sharp breath, and smiled, "How long? I bet it's not as long as I've loved you."

He scrunched up his face in pain as he tried to breathe again. Casey leaned down and kissed his lips softly. She broke away and smiled at him, as he slowly lifted his hands behind her head and brought her down to kiss again. Their lips lingered for a moment and they stayed close, smiling at each other.

But, suddenly, the noise of the three brothers stopped and the pain in Derek's chest was gone completely. Casey's hands and feet were no longer tied up and she was no longer sitting against a boiler. Derek sat up beside her and they both looked around. They were no longer in a basement, but in a large stone-walled room. It was elegantly furnished and it was brightly lit by the sunshine coming in through glassless windows. Casey looked down at herself and found that she was wearing a long, elegant dress that looked like something from the Middle Ages. She looked at Derek and found he was dressed in a white long sleeved button up shirt, brown Capri-style pants and white knee-high socks.

Derek noticed their wardrobe change and cringed at what he was wearing. He pulled open his shirt to inspect his bullet wound. But when he looked at the place he knew the bullet had hit, there was not a scratch on him. He looked up at Casey whose mouth was open and eyes were wide.

"What do you think-" she began, but then an idea struck her, "We must be back in King Richard's castle. Derek, this means we've broken the curse!"

"Or, we're dead in heaven…" Casey gave him a look, "Yeah, I like your idea better, too."

She smiled and then stood up. He did the same. He took her hand and he led her out of the room, trying to discover where exactly they were at. They came to a large room where two people were standing at the far end. One was standing in front of a large golden chair and the other was standing next to him. As they came closer, they recognized the second man was Verdd. The first man had a large gold crown on his head and a long, royal robe. They recognized him as soon as they saw him, they now suddenly had both Elizabeth and Arthur _and _Bobby and Daniele's memories. This was King Richard.

Derek and Casey bowed and curtsied low, in respect for the king. As they stood once more, they smiled at Verdd.

"Elizabeth and Arthur, I am guessing, by your sudden reappearance, that you have broken the curse?"

Derek nodded, "Yes, your highness, I believe we have."

Casey smiled, "It took us three tries, but we finally got it right."

The king nodded and smiled at the two, "Then you have my full gratitude and thanks."

"It was no problem, sire. If we had not done this, we never would have realized that we actually do love each other." Derek said, smiling down at Casey as she squeezed his hand.

King Richard smiled at the two young teenagers, "Now, Arthur and Elizabeth, you now have a choice to make. You can either stay here, and stay Arthur and Elizabeth, or you go ahead in time and live your other lives again. Now, which one would you like to choose?"

Derek and Casey looked down at each other. Casey bit her lip, "As much as I have always wanted to live in the Middle Ages, I believe our place is in the 21st century. That feels most like home to me."

Derek nodded, "I feel the same way. But, how do we go forward in time?"

King Richard motioned for Verdd to come forward, "Verdd can perform a spell that will take you to your future lives. You will be brought right to the moment before Verdd had come into your lives."

Casey stepped forward, "Will we still have our memories of what happened?"

King Richard nodded, "Yes, if you want them. We can rid you of them if you do not."

Derek took his place right next to Casey, "Nothing would make me want to forget this."

Verdd nodded, "Alright, now, if you two will just be patient with me, I will have the spell ready shortly."

Derek and Casey nodded and looked at each other, "Derek, how will we explain us to mom and George?"

Derek shook his head, "After all that we've been through, you worried about how to explain _us_ to our parents?"

Casey smiled, "I guess it does seem a bit weird."

Derek laughed, "I don't really care what we'll say, I just want to remember this, and to be with you always."

"Aww, Derek, you sound like a Hallmark card."

Derek put a hand on his chest, and pretended to be offended, "I just spoke my heart to you, and you make fun of me."

She giggled, and stood on her tiptoes to give him a quick kiss, "To be honest, I feel the exact same way."

He smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist. They heard someone clear their throat and they turned to see Verdd standing in front of a large red archway. Through the

archway was what looked like the nighttime sky.

"This is your way back to the 21st Century. You two have my best wishes."

"As well as mine!" King Richard said and walked over to them.

"It was nice seeing you two again." Casey said, smiling and then walking over to the archway.

Derek followed her and took her hand in his once more, "Yes. Thank you Verdd and you as well, King Richard."

"Good-bye, Arthur! Good-bye Elizabeth!" Verdd called as Derek and Casey stepped into the archway.

-------

Casey stood up from her desk and hurried out of her room. She ran into Derek's room just as he was turning off his stereo. She ran over to him and smiled up at him. He smiled back and wrapped his arms around her. He leaned down and gave her a kiss. When they broke apart, Casey laid her head on his chest and smiled, very happily. Derek laid his head on her head and grinned.

"It feels good to be safe again, doesn't it?" he said.

"Yes. But it feels even better to be in your arms."

Derek laughed, "Now who's the Hallmark card?"

Casey smiled.

-----

When their parents got home, Derek and Casey were sitting on the couch, watching a movie. They made sure they were a good distance apart, and then they smiled up at them.

"So, did you guys have a good day all by yourselves?" Nora asked as she and George took off their coats.

Derek and Casey smiled at each other, "Yes. It was just a normal day."

Nora and George smiled and went into the kitchen as Derek and Casey laughed to themselves and put their hands underneath a blanket, intertwining them.

Arthur and Elizabeth were no longer. But, now Casey and Derek had broken the curse and were now able to live happily ever after.

For the time being anyway….


End file.
